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Modeller Build Logs
Sherman III Early in North Africa |
| By James Wechsler | | Started: | Aug 13, 2005 | | Updated: | Sep 25, 2005 |
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A couple of weeks ago I wrote up a review here on Track-Link of the Legend Sherman III conversion set (LF 1096). I really liked the set and couldn’t wait to start on it. So I thought, why not do a blog to show how the build-up comes together? So here it is.
Up Next: What items am I going to use? |
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| Chapter 11 - Rear Hull Details | Aug 27, 2005 |
I started on the rear hull details in much the same way as the front. First up were the taillights. The Dragon kit also has these molded in clear plastic but I really didn’t think it was necessary to try to keep the lens clear. I’ll just paint them after the model is painted and add a small drop of epoxy to form a small lens. So I mounted them to the model and added the small wire that runs from the back of the lights into the hull. I took a look at the Dragon photoetch for the guards and realized that it was incorrect.
The taillight guard is a rather simply formed piece of bent sheet metal to form the guard with another piece of sheet metal for the support. These all have the flat part facing up and down. For some reason, Dragon has made the support part a separate piece and the flat part is oriented vertically not horizontally. Wrong as far as can tell. Well having already used the headlight guards from the Eduard TP028 set, I saw no reason to not also use the taillight guards. Problem solved.
I then added the very well done Dragon fuel caps, hull ventilator and lifting hooks. Surprise time again. I went to use the Dragon fire extinguisher hood (the small white box up near the turret in the photo) and found out that Dragon had molded it into their upper hull! Ok, at this time I’m willing to admit that using the Dragon kit as a donor instead of the Academy kit might not have been as great an idea as I’d thought (although I’m sure I’ll feel differently when I use the Dragon turret and VVSS on another project). Try as I might, I couldn’t find another extinguisher housing in my spares box so I had no choice but to scratch build one. Not tough but a frustrating time consumer.
I mounted the Legend photoetch Jerry can holder over the left fender (again the Legend photoetch is really well done) but chose not to use the resin tow cable clasp. It’s a well done part but using it forces you to first thread the tow cable though it and then add the end connector. I prefer to build, paint and weather the cable separately so I used a left over photoetch piece instead.
Finally, I put the side rails on the model. For those of you who aren’t hopeless Shermanaholics, the side rails were not originally installed as stowage holders. They were designed to hold a disguise cover that made the Sherman look like a lorry (that’s a truck for us Yanks). It seems to have worked since the Germans didn’t seem to know about the Sherman prior to its introduction into combat at El Alamein.
Once again Legend’s photoetch is excellent. There are the support brackets that mount to the hull, the rails themselves, and the ‘u’ fittings that held the disguise cover. They all are easily attached. The rails are in two pieces that connect at one of the hull fittings and the seam is then covered by a ‘u’ fitting so if you get them butted up evenly, there’s no real reason to fill and sand the gap.
Up Next: The Pioneer Tools |
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